Agnes De Coll

For the past decade, Agnes De Coll has dedicated her life to the fight against human trafficking. She has become a leading voice on the issue in Hungary.

De Coll currently serves as senior expert and head of the trafficking in persons unit at Hungarian Baptist Aid (HBA). Through HBA, De Coll serves as the country’s main victim witness advocate, providing survivors with support and guidance throughout their cases.  Under her leadership, HBA has opened shelters and crisis intervention centers that provide critical assistance and programs to support human trafficking victims and their ability to transition successfully to a new life in Hungary. 

De Coll regularly identifies challenges within the Government of Hungary’s anti-trafficking response and advocates for and implements both immediate and long-term solutions.  As an example, De Coll spearheaded a practice now codified into Hungary’s criminal procedural rules that allows a civil society representative to accompany a human trafficking survivor to law enforcement hearings and interviews to support the survivor through an often difficult and emotional process.  The Hungarian government, law enforcement officials, service providers, and communities around the country rely on De Coll’s expertise, strong network of personal contacts, and trusted relationships with human trafficking victims.  Her efforts have elevated significantly the importance of combating human trafficking in Hungary.